40th UN-Water Meeting

The 40th UN-Water meeting addressed a very full agenda. The newly appointed UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water, Retno Marsudi, addressed the approximately 130 UN-Water Members, Partners, and observers who attended the hybrid event and called for keeping water high on the political agenda. Speakers throughout the two-day event emphasized the linkages between the water agenda and the agendas of the three Rio Conventions, all of which are holding Conferences of the Parties (COPs) at the end of 2024. The importance of developing clear messages and pursuing inclusive collaboration to implement water and sanitation goals was emphasized throughout the meeting.

In July 2024, the first-ever UN System-wide Strategy on Water and Sanitation (Strategy) was launched and UN-Water was put in charge of developing the collaborative implementation plan for it. Participants at the 4-5 November 2024 meeting at UN Headquarters in New York convened in brainstorming sessions to discuss priority collaborative actions the UN should undertake for this plan. The agenda for the meeting was organized around the entry points for this plan to implement the Strategy.

The same UN resolution that called for development of the Strategy also called for convening global water conferences in 2026 and 2028. Participants at the 40th UN-Water meeting discussed recommendations for the UN 2026 Water Conference with representatives from co-hosts of the event, Senegal and the United Arab Emirates. They also discussed lessons from the UN 2023 Water Conference with representatives from that event, the Netherlands and Tajikistan.

Additional agenda items included reports from a variety of UN-Water task forces and updates on World Water Day and World Toilet Day celebrations. The meeting closed with agreement on the dates and location of the next meeting of UN-Water:  2-3 April 2025, in Rome, Italy.

Opening Statements

UN-Water Chair Alvaro Lario welcomed participants to the open session of the 40th UN-Water Meeting.

Retno Marsudi, UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy on Water, emphasized that water is key to prosperity and peace. She highlighted the need for cooperation, collaboration, and innovative financing, including from philanthropies and the private sector. Marsudi called for: ensuring that water is high on the political agenda; aligning efforts within the global water community; and accelerating action to move beyond business as usual.  

High-level Intergovernmental Water Events 

The co-chairs of the UN 2023 Water Conference and the UN 2026 Water Conference reflected on the experience and plans for these events followed by a discussion of options and opportunities for upcoming water-focused events. Participants were reminded that UNGA resolution A/78/L.110 specifies that the UN 2026 Water Conference will take place from 2-4 December 2026.

Sanoi Boyzoda, Tajikistan, co-host for the UN 2023 Water Conference, recalled that the event catalyzed political momentum and led to over 800 voluntary commitments, the scheduling of future UN water conferences, and the call for a UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy, among other achievements.  

Niels Vlaanderen, the Netherlands, co-host for the UN 2023 Water Conference, emphasized the need to empower countries, companies, and civil society organizations to take meaningful action. He highlighted the importance of trust among partners and hoped the 2026 conference would be even more inclusive, cross-sectoral, and action-oriented.   

During the discussion, one participant lamented what he described as limited access for Indigenous Peoples and no access for representatives of municipalities during the UN 2023 Water Conference, and called for ensuring these stakeholders can participate in future meetings. A participant from civil society said organizers had made significant efforts to involve women, Indigenous Peoples, and others, while noting access to visas was a challenge. Another emphasized the importance of connecting water goals to the financial sector and ensuring its participation. 

Stephanie Rambler, Special Assistant to the UN-Water Secretary, outlined the modalities for the UN 2026 Water Conference, noting the conference will include seven plenaries and six interactive dialogues. She highlighted the importance of “active engagement from the whole UN water family” and said organizers will be working to ensure a very high level of inclusion and participation. 

Underscoring that at least 50% of the world’s population lives in highly water stressed conditions for at least one month each year, Salma Zeid, United Arab Emirates, highlighted the importance of: raising the political visibility of the water agenda; building on existing efforts; and creating initiatives that will continue after 2026. She cited the importance of inclusion of Indigenous Peoples, youth, women, and local communities in the 2026 Conference.  

Mohamed Diatta, Senegal Sherpa for the UN 2026 Water Conference, emphasized that achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 (clean water and sanitation) is a matter of survival for future generations, and that water cuts across all five pillars of the 2030 Agenda – people, planet, prosperity, peace and partnerships. He identified key indicators of success for the Conference, including focusing on implementation, fostering coordination and collaboration, and engaging stakeholders, and outlined planned consultations at upcoming negotiations on climate change and desertification.  

During the discussion, a participant highlighted the importance of recognizing sanitation “rights holders” and not just stakeholders, and called for building trust and creating spaces where member states can listen to the people. Another participant underscored the importance of ensuring that human rights are reflected in the 2026 conference and its outcomes.  

One participant called for engaging representatives of mining and other sectors who are dependent on water but are not traditionally included. Another highlighted that “the private sector is not the solution, but there is no solution without the private sector,” and commended work to break down silos. Several participants underscored the need to focus on implementation.  

Special Envoy Marsudi underscored the need to identify low-hanging fruit and make sure the 2026 conference will make a significant contribution to achievement of the SDGs.  

Participants were then invited to discuss a series of questions about the UN 2026 Water Conference, including how success should be defined and how it can build on the success of the UN 2023 Water Conference.

A speaker highlighted the need to switch to a long-term sustainability framing for an integrated ecosystem approach to water. Other speakers emphasized the need to start an ambitious dialogue, with some calling for participation at the highest level. A speaker called for a clear process on how countries could make commitments within their own countries. Others called for tangible outcomes from the Conference and lamented that the modalities resolution did not call for a negotiated outcome. Speakers highlighted the need to engage youth.

Many speakers emphasized that the process leading to the conference would be more important than the conference itself, as it would build capacity, knowledge, and engagement. Among the upcoming meetings that speakers noted could feed into the 2026 event were the seventh meeting of the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA-5) in December 2025 and a preparatory conference to be organized by Senegal.,

Kamala Huseynli-Abishova spoke for the incoming Presidency for the 29th session of the Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP 29) and presented on water-related planning for COP 29. She called attention to the COP 29 Declaration on Water for Climate Action and noted the COP 29 Presidency will launch the “Baku Dialogue on Water for Climate Action,” which seeks to provide a platform for water-related climate action from COP to COP and thus provide continuity coherence on these initiatives. UNEP will host this initiative.

During a discussion on water and climate, participants emphasized the need to keep climate resilience and water issues in mind, as well as the uses of water in climate mitigation. Participants were encouraged to engage with the Water and Climate Pavilion SIWI will organize.

Activities on Strategy entry point 1: Lead and inspire collective action on water and sanitation

Under this agenda item, participants were briefed on activities during World Water Day 2024 and the launch of the UN World Water Development Report 2024. Both activities focused on the theme “Water for Peace.” Based on a content analysis of engagement from the World Water Day, participants were informed that the campaign: conveyed the vital role of water in achieving global peace and prosperity; ignited a dialogue on water’s impact on society and the need for cooperation to address water-related challenges; and stimulated conversations on the interconnectedness of water, conflict, and cooperation.

World Toilet Day 2024 will be marked on 19 November 2024, and is focused on the theme, “Toilets:  A Place for Peace.” Messaging will focus on the need for toilets to be safe and secure, for them to create a barrier between humans and our waste, and for them to protect our dignity.

On World Water Day 2025 and the UN World Water Development Report 2025, participants were reminded that the 36th UN-Water Meeting, in 2022, agreed to align World Water Day 2025 with the campaign theme “Glacier preservation,” with a focus on the water cycle. Key messages will include: glaciers are melting faster than ever; glacial retreat threatens devastation; and glacier preservation is a survival strategy.

The UN World Water Development Report 2025 will focus on “Water Towers: Mountains and glaciers.” The final draft will be circulated for SPM endorsement in early December 2024.

Activities on Strategy entry point 2: Engage better for countries by leveraging whole-of-UN system support and by mobilizing stakeholders and partnerships for water and sanitation

On Country Level Engagement, the Task Force on Country Level Engagement provided an update on its activities. UN-Water meeting participants were informed that the task force works with Resident Coordinators (RCs) and UN Country Teams’ (UNCT) inter-agency efforts on water-related issues, and coordinates efforts among UN-Water-related country level initiatives. The task force’s 2024 activities have included the validation of seed funding requests from engagement countries. Costa Rica, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Pakistan, Peru and the Philippines have proposed undertaking activities, including an initiation of National Water Dialogues in Iraq and developing a de-facto coordination platform for water-related UN interventions in the Philippines. Going forward, the task force will aim to identify lessons from the 2024 engagement, assess needs for coordination of water actions at the national level, and scale up efforts as part of the Strategy.

During a discussion, participants asked how participatory the country-level activities are and how the development agenda can be mainstreamed at the country-level, rather than supporting a few activities. One speaker emphasized the value of integrating the human right to water into national level legal frameworks. Another speaker emphasized the need to respond to national priorities as identified in their national development plans. Speakers were reminded that each government works differently and the task force must remain flexible while trying to support action.

On Regional Level Coordination, participants were updated on activities within the UN regions, including:

• Study tour on “Resilient Water Infrastructure,” with over 15 country representatives (ECLAC);
• Committee on Environment and Development featured a segment on water and climate risks and a side event on “Enhancing Adaptive Capacities through Water Cooperation” (ESCAP);
• Working Group on Water and Health under the UNECE-WHO/Europe Protocol on Water and Health discussed the outcomes of and follow-up to the UN 2023 Water Conference (UNECE);
• Workshop for the Southern African Development Community on Transboundary Water Allocation, WEFE Nexus and Development of Agreements and other Arrangements in the context of the UN Water Convention (UNECA in collaboration with UNECE); and
• Planning to convene a session on progress achieved towards the Water Action Decade in the Arab Region and Preparing for the UN 2026 Water Conference at the Arab Water Conference in November 2024 (ESCWA).

On the SDG 6 Capacity Development Initiative (CDI), participants discussed activities under the initiative, including an upcoming workshop in Costa Rica and efforts to identify the needs and gaps within countries. Integrated workshops are being organized for pilot countries and lessons learned from the 2024 workshops will be identified for workshops in 2025. A participant suggested including member states in the planning, noting they bring experience and can link to existing networks.

On the Roadmap on human rights to water and sanitation, participants highlighted the value of a human rights-based approach for the UN 2026 Water Conference, noting it was not sufficiently incorporated into the UN 2023 Water Conference. Links between human rights to water and sanitation and the human right to a healthy environment were highlighted, with speakers calling for efforts to promote both concepts.

Activities on Strategy entry point 3: Align United Nations system support for the integration of water and sanitation issues across sectors and mainstreaming into intergovernmental processes

Participants were updated on efforts to bring water issues into the three Rio Conventions’ COPs during 2024. A joint event will take place during the UN Convention to Combat Desertification’s COP in December. During the Convention on Biological Diversity’s COP in October, a decision on Islands calls for the CBD Executive Secretary to enhance cooperation for implementing the Strategy. A forests and water day during the CBD COP also addressed the fact that forests depend on the water cycle.

During an update on the work of the Expert Group on Water and Climate Change, participants were briefed on the launch of the Study on the Water Requirements of Climate Mitigation and the upcoming launch of the UN-Water Analytical Brief on the water dependencies of climate mitigation. The key message of this work is that water is an enabler for achieving the climate change goals.

This Expert Group also completed a joint proposal for the development of indicators under the Global Goal on Adaptation. The group was informed that the UNFCCC Secretariat received proposals for over 5000 indicators. Options related to water address management, enhancement, restoration and conservation of inland water ecosystems; climate-resilient sanitation; climate-resilient water supply; reducing climate-induced water scarcity; and enhancing climate resilience to water-related hazards.

Messages for COP 29 on adaptation include: advocate for an indicator framework suitable for national and global monitoring of progress towards GGA targets; consultations should take place in 2025 with official statistical bodies at national, regional and global level to maximize coherence and linkages with existing indicator frameworks; a similar approach to the use of UN data custodians that is used for SDG indicators should be adopted, and the new quantified global goal on climate finance (NCQG) should include a sub-goal on adaptation.

Activities on Strategy entry point 4: Accelerate progress and transformational change by unifying UN system support through the five SDG 6 global accelerators: financing, data and information, capacity development, innovation and governance

During an update on advancing the innovation accelerator of the SDG 6 Global Acceleration Framework, participants were informed the task force is bringing together examples from task force members and encouraged submissions of examples of innovation. Criteria for innovative examples include: potentially transformative due to technological, policy/regulatory, or financial innovations; innovative in either testing something completely new or something in a new geographic location; replicable; scalable; poverty reducing; gender mainstreaming; and livelihood creating. The examples should address water quality, water quantity, and water security, and should be within the cross-cutting categories of:

• Governance and Institutions
• Capacity Development
• Data and Information Management
• Water Economics
• Water Finance
• Innovations and Nature Based Solutions

Speakers also suggested including examples that involve the use of AI.

At the conclusion of the discussion, the SPMs took note of the progress report of the Task Force on Innovation, agreed to share innovative examples of public policy for water and related sectors, and agreed to encourage its representatives to actively engage in the activities of the Task Force, in particular the workstream on finance for innovation.

Participants were also updated by the Expert Group on Water Quality and Wastewater, on the priority topics in its workplan: technical coherence and alignment of UN system-wide technical advice on aspects of water quality and wastewater management; provide a platform to exchange data, information, knowledge, experience and expertise on water quality and wastewater issues; and respond to other needs and requests of UN-Water in this area. There were no comments on this report.

Activities on Strategy entry point 5: Account for progress through joint review and learning

In his presentation of the update and discussion of lessons on the UN-Water Integrated Monitoring Initiative for SDG 6, Will Reidhead, UN-Water, reported that countries have reported on an average of 8.9 of the 12 SDG 6 indicators in the last five year. Over the last three years, he said the world has seen modest improvement across SDG 6, although we remain off track and will not achieve SDG 6 by 2030 at the current rate of progress.

Commenting on the lessons learned for collaborative action from this initiative’s success in coordinating multiple UN actors, Reidhead noted the need to ensure a “strong business case,” and noted that the IMI example benefited from the UN-Water partners having a mandate as custodians for SDG indicators, the initiative built on existing work and expertise, and it had a clearly defined goal and a strong value proposition.  He also noted the need to ensure effective operationalization, including by: launching immediate joint activities to build early successes; pairing long-term ambition with short-term realism; adopting clear and accountable coordination mechanisms and processes; developing a well-articulated workplan and individual responsibilities; and incorporating external advice and thinking outside the box.

Panel Discussion: Facing Future Water Challenges

Colin Herron, Global Water Partnership, moderated this panel, which drew insights from the World Bank Group’s Fast Track Water Security and Climate Adaptation Global Challenge Program, the Final Report of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, and the UN Resident Coordinator System’s role in advancing water and sanitation through UN system-wide collaboration.

Henk Ovink, Global Commission on the Economic of Water, highlighted the Commission’s focus on the full hydrological cycle. He highlighted that the three Rio Conventions are all connected to the hydrological cycle, and said governance of the cycle is critical. Ovink said the challenge is to “ensure water is part of everything.”

Sarah Nedolast, World Bank Group, said the World Bank’s water security program is a multi-phase programmatic approach, which allows it to help countries in phases, starting with diagnostics, then planning, and finance. She said more public finance of water is needed.

Gonzalo Pizarro, UN Development Coordination Office, said his office provides a bridge between global goals and national level action and works on four broad areas to unleash acceleration:

• Regulatory frameworks to provide ways to accelerate the SDGs
• Capacity development including data
• Bringing other actors together to develop pipelines for projects that accelerate the SDGs
• Building a pipeline for projects that accelerate the SDGs.

He highlighted the value of the Economics of Water Commission’s report in translating science into policy and bringing the economic dimension into the discussion, which he said can lift the discussion out of the line ministries and into planning and finance ministries, where discussions of investments are made.

During the discussion, participants rejected the privatisation of water and the reference to water as a “sector.” Panelists agreed that the objective should not be to privatize or commodify water.

Collaborative Implementation Plan of the Strategy

The Collaborative Implementation Plan of the Strategy identifies a structure, roles and responsibilities, timeframe, and points for review in implementing the first-ever Strategy, which was launched in July 2024. It was developed by UN-Water through a co-creation process. During the presentation of the Plan and a subsequent discussion, Bruce Gordon, UN-Water Vice-Chair, focused on “priority collaborative actions” (PCAs), which are the high-impact actions that will be undertaken by the UN System together. The six PCAs that have been identified for SDG 6 are: unify and amplify UN voices on water and sanitation; collaborate for join country programming; improve availability and use of evidence and learning to accelerate progress; water beyond 2030; mainstream within the UN Rio Conventions at all levels; and mobilize to elevate the ambition of UN Water Conferences.

Breakout groups subsequently focused on the PCAs. During their reports back to the full group, the group considering “unify and amplify UN voices on water and sanitation” and “water beyond 2030” discussed the need to develop a matrix of messages that could be used at different levels and in different regions, to provide common messaging that is appropriate for specific contexts and audiences. They noted the need for qualitative and quantitative measures for impact, and to address water issues in relation to food and agriculture, poverty reduction, and urban development.

The group considering “collaborate for joint country programming” discussed the need to develop the UN-Water offer on the Strategy and said it should be an interactive tool that responds to a country’s context. Some participants highlighted that country-level activities need to be demand driven, while others noted that if countries and Resident Coordinators don’t know what UN-Water members have to offer, they are not likely to request that support.  

The group considering “mainstream within the UN Rio Conventions at all levels” noted that water is important for all three COPs and there is a need to raise awareness. Some suggested using COP Presidency events as well as to engage with regional preparatory processes. The group also suggested looking at National Adaptation Plans and Nationally Determined Contributions to see how countries are identifying water challenges and needs.

The group that discussed the need to “improve availability and use of evidence and learning to accelerate progress” called for: making better use of existing data; translating and making sure everyone has proper messages; and identifying case studies and demonstrating the benefits of the added value of SDG 6 to the other SDGs.

The group considering how to “mobilize to elevate the ambition of the UN Water Conferences” discussed the need to change the narrative for the 2026 meeting, to focus on water as a protagonist that can help mitigate climate change. They also discussed the importance of clear communication and using existing mechanisms, such as the High-level Political Forum’s (HLPF) SDG 6 review and regional forums for sustainable development.

Gordon noted that the PCA results framework would be finalized during the closed session of the UN-Water meeting, following which work plans, budgets, and monitoring frameworks for the PCAs would be proposed.

Decision on next UN-Water Meeting and Closing Statements

The SPMs agreed the 41st UN-Water Meeting would be hosted by IFAD at its headquarters from 2-3 April 2025, in Rome, Italy.

The UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water thanked UN-Water Members and Partners for the warm welcome and support. She highlighted that we are in a strategic moment and noted interests in a cross-sectoral approach and in forging new alliances for the 2026 conference. She stressed the need to ensure that everyone is talking about the water agenda, to build momentum, and to communicate in ways that audiences will understand. She stressed the value of making inclusive collaboration a habit and not an after thought.

UN-Water Chair Lario looked forward to continuing the work with UN-Water Members and Partners to accelerate solutions for water and sanitation. He thanked participants for their inputs and expressed hope that they were proud of the milestones the group is creating. He closed the session at 3:58 pm.